1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vehicles used to place payloads such as satellites in earth orbit. The new vehicle normally uses two or three stages comprised of an ejector ramjet powered aerospacecraft, a second stage rocket powered reusable spacecraft to place payloads in low and medium earth orbit, and if necessary a third stage rocket powered reusable orbit transfercraft to place payloads in geosynchronous transfer orbit. The aerospacecraft may also be used with a combination of reusable and expendable upper stages, or all expendable upper stages, including a fourth stage, to place payloads in geosynchronous or planetary orbits. The aerospacecraft may also be used to carry payloads as a hypersonic aircraft.
2. Description of Related Art
There are currently in use various vehicles for placing satellites in earth orbit. These vehicles usually involve a rocket or missile or an aircraft and rocket combination. Such vehicles are well known and are manufactured in the United States as well as other countries. Numerous examples exist such as the Space Shuttle of the United States, the Ariane of France, the Proton of Russia and the like. The concept of the use of existing high altitude aircraft using rockets or missiles for launch from the aircraft has been disclosed and prototypes tested. Also, various designs for large horizontal take off initial lift vehicles have been proposed as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,802,639 and 5,402,965.
However, the use of an ejector ramjet powered aerodynamic vehicle with flight characteristics designed for horizontal take off or for launch from a larger aircraft has not been utilized for space launch of orbital payloads. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,985.
The present invention provides an aerodynamic vehicle optimized for flight from zero to hypersonic velocity with the capability to pull up out of the sensible atmosphere with auxiliary ascent rocket engines. The aerodynamic vehicle, the aerospacecraft, flies to an altitude to allow orbital placement of the payload with the use of one or more rocket stages. The aerospacecraft and rocket stages each then return and land to be reused. The aerospacecraft may also be used to transport payload in its cargo bay in which case it would take off and fly to a destination location and land.